Sustainable Horticulture BS

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Andrews University

Program Overview

The Sustainable Horticulture BS at Andrews University is a 120-credit professional degree that combines plant and natural sciences with practical preparation for careers in horticulture, environmental design and agricultural systems. It is well suited to students who want to work with plants, sustainable environments and agricultural enterprises, with three concentration options: Agribusiness, Landscape & Environmental Design, and International Agriculture Development.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their scientific and agricultural foundation through subjects such as AGRI 118 – Soil Science, HORT 205 – Plant Science and AGRI 175 – First Year Seminar. They also begin developing practical knowledge through AGRI 235 – Sustainable Agriculture Techniques, connecting scientific principles with sustainable production practices.

Year 2: Students deepen their understanding of plants and agricultural systems through HORT 226 – Plant Systematics & ID, HORT 250 – History of Landscape Architecture and AGRI 270 – Management of Agriculture Enterprises. Depending on their selected concentration, students begin building specialised knowledge in areas such as business, landscape design or international agricultural development.

Year 3: The program becomes increasingly applied, with AGRI 335 – Research Methods, AGRI 394 – Internship & Career Preparation and the required AGRI 395 – Internship giving students opportunities to develop research, professional and workplace skills. Students also complete concentration-specific study, such as BSAD 355 – Principles of Management in Agribusiness or HORT 337 – Fundamentals of Landscape Design in Landscape & Environmental Design.

Year 4: Students consolidate their expertise through AGRI 415 – Senior Seminar, AGRI 450 – Environmental Leadership and AGRI 497 – Capstone, while completing advanced subjects within their chosen concentration. For example, Landscape & Environmental Design students can study HORT 441 – Advanced Landscape Graphics and HORT 442 – Advanced Site Design, while International Agriculture Development students can undertake an International Internship.

Focus areas:

Sustainable horticulture, plant science, soil science, sustainable agriculture techniques, agribusiness, landscape and environmental design, international agricultural development, environmental leadership, research and practical horticultural management.

Learning outcomes:

Graduates understand sustainable horticulture practices and principles, manage human, financial and material resources, demonstrate professional workplace behaviour, communicate effectively and work collaboratively.

Professional alignment (accreditation):

Andrews University states that its horticulture programs are accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD). The program also includes an internship and practical preparation, supporting students' transition into professional horticulture and landscape-related careers.

Reputation (employability rankings):

Andrews University emphasises hands-on agricultural education and career preparation, with the Sustainable Horticulture program offering required internship experience and practical training. The university highlights career paths including urban landscape designer, arborist, golf course grounds supervisor, pomologist, landscape architect, plant geneticist and botanical garden manager.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Sustainable Horticulture BS at Andrews University is strongly practice-oriented, giving students opportunities to apply plant science and sustainable agriculture concepts in real growing environments rather than relying only on classroom learning. Students work with university gardens, orchards and greenhouses, while the program also requires an internship so they can build hands-on professional experience in their chosen horticulture field.

The program is supported by Andrews' Department of Sustainable Agriculture, which provides studios, laboratories and research opportunities, as well as the Agriculture Education Center. The university is also expanding its horticulture facilities, including greenhouse space designed for year-round plant production and applied learning.

Students gain practical experience through:

University gardens: Students studying horticulture can gain hands-on experience in plant production through the university's gardens, working with experienced growers to produce fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs.
Greenhouses: Students have access to greenhouse facilities for plant propagation and horticulture learning. Andrews is also developing a larger teaching greenhouse with climate-controlled growing environments for different climates.
Sustainable production: Students apply sustainable growing practices while working with real crops and plant-production systems, connecting classroom knowledge with practical horticultural work.
Required internship: The program includes AGRI 394 – Internship & Career Preparation and AGRI 395 – Internship in __________, providing supervised on-the-job agricultural experience evaluated by departmental faculty.
Agriculture study tours: AGRI 390 – Agriculture Study Tour allows students to visit areas of horticultural and agricultural interest and complete research before the tour and an analysis afterward.
Research training: AGRI 335 – Research Methods develops students' ability to approach agricultural questions using research methods, supporting further study and research-oriented careers.
Real-world design work: Students in the Landscape & Environmental Design concentration can work with real clients and use current landscape technology through subjects such as Landscape Drafting and Graphics, Fundamentals of Landscape Design, Advanced Landscape Graphics and Advanced Site Design.
Specialised horticulture facilities: The planned teaching greenhouse includes temperature-controlled growing zones, full-spectrum LED lighting, solar-powered systems, drip irrigation and integrated pest-management approaches, creating opportunities for students to study how different environmental conditions affect crops.
Agriculture Education Center: The 50-acre Agriculture Education Center provides a broader hands-on agricultural environment and is part of Andrews' practical agriculture teaching infrastructure.
Laboratory and studio learning: The Department of Sustainable Agriculture offers laboratories and studios alongside classroom instruction and research, supporting practical learning across agriculture and horticulture.
Capstone experience: AGRI 497 – Capstone gives students an opportunity to bring together their knowledge and skills through a culminating project in their selected area of study.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Sustainable Horticulture BS at Andrews University is a professional degree designed to prepare students for management and supervisory careers across the plant and horticulture industries. Depending on their chosen concentration, graduates can build careers in landscape and environmental design, agribusiness, international agricultural development, plant research, botanical gardens and sustainable food systems.

Typical career opportunities include:

Landscape Designer / Landscape Architect
Arborist
Botanical Garden Manager
Plant Geneticist / Horticultural Researcher

Students can strengthen their transition into employment through:

Career Center: Andrews University provides individual career coaching, internship and job-search support, résumé and cover-letter reviews, mock interviews, career-fair preparation and networking guidance.
Internships and experiential learning: The university's Career Center connects students with jobs, internships and micro-internships, while the Sustainable Horticulture curriculum includes AGRI 394 – Internship & Career Preparation and internship coursework in the program requirements.
Employer connections: Andrews partners with external organisations to provide job, internship and other experiential-learning opportunities, while employers can engage students through recruitment, mentorship and networking.
Career technology: Students can use Handshake to search for jobs, internships and co-ops, apply for positions, attend employer events and interviews, and make their résumé visible to employers.
Career preparation tools: Students also have access to Parker Dewey for paid micro-internships, Forage for virtual work experiences and Occupation Insight for career exploration.
Industry-relevant preparation: The Sustainable Horticulture program includes real-client work using landscape technology, while the university identifies opportunities in landscape design, plant research, botanical gardens, plant breeding, genetics, plant nutrition and agricultural industry support.
Professional recognition: Andrews states that its horticulture programs are accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), providing added professional value particularly for students pursuing landscape-focused careers.
Employment outlook: Andrews lists annual salary figures of $70,630 for Landscape Architects and $68,830 for Agricultural or Food Scientists, citing the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Graduate readiness: The program develops students' ability to apply sustainable horticulture principles, manage human, financial and material resources, communicate professionally and work collaboratively—skills directly relevant to supervisory and management positions.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into graduate study in areas such as horticulture, plant science, agriculture, environmental studies, landscape architecture or related disciplines. Andrews specifically notes that the horticulture degree can support progression toward research and graduate-school opportunities, including advanced work in plant breeding, genetics, nutrition and crop improvement.